Ever After
by KyozetsuShiroKiba
Summary: Inuyasha was slain in the final moments of the battle against Naraku. Now, a year later Kagome is still here searching, wondering, waiting on what her life will hold now. Will she be able to find love? Will she be able to transcend this icy barrier around her heart? And how can one with more ice in their heart than she attempt to penetrate her defenses? Will he even want to?
1. Starting Over

"Starting Over"

She could feel the cold night air swirling around she walked through the dew covered grass to the god tree. Her eyes were numb and cold just like her heart. She was clad in a black haori that was slightly form fitting. It has a golden crest on the back of it in the shape of a crescent moon on her right shoulder. The pants came together at the bottom and cuffed at the ankle. She had on black sandals that laced up her leg to ensure they did not come off. Her hair was tied back in a high pony tail. She was unarmed save for the dagger she had hidden on the inner most part of her right thigh for protection only just in case. You never knew anymore in the Feudal Era. Naraku was gone but it was still dangerous full of demons. And without Inuyasha….Her attention flickered back to her original purpose for being out here. The flowers in her hand grew heavier than they originally had been. They were blue orchids. A rareity even here.

She knelt down in front of the tree and lay the flowers down over a headstone at the base of the tree. The epitaph read: "Inuyasha son of Inu no Tashio a brave warrior and friend…" Tears welled up in her eyes as she suppressed the fresh memory of his death in her mind. He was killed by Naraku during the final battle. Everyone had barely survived. If it had not been of the hanyou they would have all perished.

She sensed an aura close to her left. It was one of a demon but she didn't move. Not like she cared to live or die at this point. However, the aura was familiar and after fighting alongside him to defeat Naraku she doubted the possibility of him actually killing her.

Sesshomaru approached her side silently and looked at the grave. He said nothing. There was really nothing to say now. It was over. Naraku was dead as was Inuyasha. He didn't feel for him, but he was his brother and his honor required that he respect his death. Sesshomaru looked at the ningen who knelt in front of the grave then to the flowers laid across the tomb. This was her way of mourning. Under normal circumstances he would not have been caught dead with a human; however, tonight was an exception to the rule. He could not leave a woman out in the cold at night emotionally compromised with demons lurking about. She had been his brother's girl after all. He looked up at the tree in thought as the moonlight winked at him through the tree's canopy. He would wander the lands as long as permitted until he returned to his castle in the West. He already knew three treaties Lord Tatsuya, the Lord of the North, had proposed to him. Since he had been the one to lay the final blow to Naraku other Lords of the lands wanted him as their allies and treaties were being proposed daily. Personally these political customs annoyed him; however, he had inherited the land, castle, and throne which all came with such duties, and he had his family's honor to uphold.

Sesshomaru was awakened from his train of thought by the smell of salt. He looked down at the miko and saw tears falling. He personally hated it when women cried. It was messy and hard to deal with. In this case, though, he was willing to turn a blind eye to it. She had loved him after all. She was out here alone unprotected to put flowers on a dead hanyou's grave. He could show a little mercy.

He shifted his weight to his right leg that was closer to Kagome slightly pressing against her. That was all the encouraging she needed. She leaned fully against his leg and cried. Sesshomaru looked the other way out of dignity and respect for the woman.

Kagome was surprised by this act of sympathy from Sesshomaru but right now she didn't have the mind power to really assess it. He provided some comfort and she took it. She let it all out. She sobbed sobs that racked her body in tremors. She trembled and inhaled sharply because she ran out of breath. How she missed him. How she would miss him in the future. She didn't know if she could ever love anyone again. Her sobs quieted now and her body slackened with the lost energy that had been wasted on tears. She closed her eyes to rest and escaped the world for a little while.

Sesshomaru noticed her lack of movement and control of her body. She had passed out. He debated on taking her back to the hut where she stayed while in Edo. He could sneak her back in without anyone noticing. He could also leave her here but watch over her until someone came for her which would eliminate the possibility of an embarrassing situation altogether. The latter was his choice of action. He gently removed his leg from her grasp and left into the tree line as he sat down at the base of a tree in perfect sight range of the ningen. No one would be dumb enough to try anything with him around. All the youkia in the area knew he was there. They knew Kagome had been Inuyasha's girl. She would be in danger all of her life now. However, for right now she was the safest anyone could possibly be as the taiyoukia sat like a sentry watching over the heartbroken miko.


	2. The Ice King Returns

"The Ice King Returns"

_One year later..._

The winter wind had set in and snow blanketed the ground like a familiar friend once more. Kagome smiled as she watched the village kids playing throwing snow at each other. She was living with Kaede learning more in the priestess ways. She was getting a lot stronger. Shippou now at a mature age had gone off to train and get stronger by patrolling the outer edges of Edo. He would never tell anyone but they all knew that his hero was Inuyasha and he wanted to train to be as strong as he had been. It made Kagome smile sadly thinking about it. Sango and Miroku had indeed gotten married and were expecting a child here soon. A few months after Inuyasha's death they had decided to destroy the Shikon no Tama. Her friends had argued that she could never go home again, but she knew that she could never go back to life as it had once been. And the Shikon no Tama was too dangerous to keep around any longer; otherwise the next egotistical demon that decided to take world dominion might come after it once more and Kagome, the rightful protector of the jewel, didn't feel like going through all that again. They had it finally let Miroku destroy it with his wind tunnel, and as far as Kagome could sense it wasn't anywhere inside his body. She, however, kept up the pretense that she still had it to protect her friends. They had gotten married and had gotten pregnant the next month. They named Kagome the child's god mother and came to visit monthly for Kaede to check on Sango's progress.

Kagome sipped on a cup of tea that was steaming in front of her. She had gotten over her sadness for Inuyasha in a manner of speaking. It was something that would always be there like a bitter, cold sting inside her heart, but now it had dulled to where she could at least ignore it and live. One of the kids got pegged in the face with a snowball and the others started laughing. The kid got up and shook his fist at the other boys before chasing after them with a vengeance. She couldn't help but smile at their antics. Then the door to the hut opened and Kaede walked outside. Kagome looked behind her and smiled at her adoptive mother.

"Hello Kaede," she said as the older woman sat down beside her with her own mug of tea.

"Aye, hello to yee to Kagome. Why are yee still here? I thought yee would be gone by now to look for herbs in the forest," the old woman said eyeing her with curiosity. They needed the herbs but Kagome had gotten distracted by the children and lost track of time. However, Kagome knew that Kaede didn't need an explanation as the kids came back into view throwing snowballs again. Kaede couldn't help but smile herself.

"Aye, does good for the soul to see the joy of children eh Kagome."

"Yes it does," she said peering over her cup, "they are peaceful and full of happiness." Kaede nodded as she smiled at the shuffling figures as they made snow forts and snowballs.

"Aye, innocent joy they are. Pure untouched by the evils this world once held." Kagome felt a twinge of pain in her heart. Kaede upheld the thought that Inuyasha had slain Naraku during the final fight. He, however, did not and Kaede knew this for a fact. She still maintained the ideal that had it not been for him all would have been lost.

Kagome rose to her feet and set her cup down. She readjusted her winter haori. She didn't know exactly what it had been made of except it was not wool. It was white in color on the top and the lower half was black. It cuffed around her ankles. She had a white wrap that went from her mid-calf all the way to her foot. She wore regular priestess traveling sandals all the time now. She hadn't let her hair down, except to bathe, since Inuyasha had died. It was always in a high pony tail for convenience.

"I'll be back as soon as possible Kaede,"Kagome said as she grabbed her bow and arrows that had been lying by her side the entire time.

"Aye, be careful Kagome. The youkia are more desperate for food this time of year. Do not led yee guard down even for a moment." Kagome just smiled at the older woman and her warnings. She had been affected by the loss of a friend as well.

"I will."

Kagome had to thank the woman. She had taken her in and given her a place to say. She had even told the heroic story of Inuyasha around the village and was fully accepted by them all. It was hard not to like her. She helped anyone with anything they needed. From training younger mikos to shoot arrows to purifying cursed objects, she did anything.

Kagome sighed as she passed the children at play to exit the village into the wooded area that she knew she would find the specified herbs that they were running low on. Her life had been rather uneventful in the past year. She hadn't seen a youkia since she had knelt at Inuyasha's grave that night and Sesshomaru had shown up. She rather missed it all. At the moment even a glimpse of Sesshomaru would have been nice. She had thought a lot about the "Ice King", as everyone referred to him, since that night. She didn't know why he had let her cry on him. Granted he had not comforted her back in any way, but the fact that he had extended the courtesy of that was amazing in and of itself. However, he had been gone when she was found by Miroku that morning and she hadn't had the chance to ask him before he was gone. These thoughts dissipated as she reached the tree line and had to now focus on the world around her for any sign of a threat. There hadn't been any sighting of youkia around the village lately, but just because you didn't see them didn't mean they weren't there.

~Sesshomaru~

The taiyoukia sighed as he looked out of the window from his second story office in his castle. The snow was gently falling again. It was going to be a long winter. The fireplace was roaring before him successfully keep out the cold. His office was laden with bookshelves that were loaded down with books of every genre. History of the Feudal Taiyoukia Lords, Inu no Tashio: Lord of the West, and more books with such titles as these. The room was decorated professionally. A painting hung on the wall behind his heavy oak desk that faced the door into the room. It was of Inu no Tashio in his true form. He kept it up due to tradition. The floor was decorated with a hand woven rug of a scene from one of Inu no Tashio's great battles with other youkia of lower caliber. The rest of the flooring was wooden. His desk was laden with stacks of completed and incomplete drafts of crop harvest, food supply for the winter, payments paid by other lords to stay in rooms of the castle like a vacation home, the number of weapons in supply, the number of youkia at his command, ect. Then there were documents that held more significance: political deliberations, treaties, treaty violations, and such.

Sesshomaru rubbed his temples. It was time for him to get out of the castle for a while. He had about risen to his feet when a knock came to the office door.

"Enter," he spoke in the same stoic tone as he ever used. He managed to hide his irritation well. The door swung open to reveal a youkia servant with a sheet of paper.

"My Lord here is the latest report on threats to the Edo area as you requested," the male youkia bowed to Sesshomaru who took the document and nodded to the youkia in dismissal. The young youkia had about left when Sesshomaru spoke.

"Wait." The youkia turned around; however, Sesshomaru was not looking at him. His eyes scanned the paper. The attacks had gone down in the area, but the demons that had come to reside there Sesshomaru recognized as being more of the powerful type. This was disquieting. They would be going after the Shikon no Tama that they thought still existed.

Sesshomaru knew about its disposal. He was present for it. Albeit hidden. He had thought it would be proper for the Lord of the West to be present for such an occurrence. He had seen it disappear into the monk's hand and heard Kagome's words when she had said she didn't sense it within him. It had finally been destroyed. He also knew the miko could not return to her time and resided in Edo. He didn't keep tabs on her necessarily, but he felt a duty to his dead brother to keep an occasional eye on her in a way. Edo was a big area a report on the demon's there would give him an idea of how safe she really was within that region without focusing in on her village. Normally it wasn't an issue. However, these demons had centered in an area that Sesshomaru knew to be near the village that she lived in. It was unsettling.

"Tell Jaken that I will be leaving the castle for a while. He is to not come with me. Rin is to continue her studies and training," his tone was stoic but his movements swift. By the end of his sentence he had come around his desk, crossed the room, and was exiting the door in a hurried rush down the hallway. The young youkia had had no time to respond to Sesshomaru and was rushing to fulfill his lord's wishes.

Sesshomaru had walked down to the first level and into the court yard where the summer flowers had vanished and the trees had lost their leaves and were bare, cold. A layer of snow enveloped the ground beneath him as he summoned his cloud. He had stepped onto the cloud and was flying away as Jaken rushed outside.

"My lord! Where are you going?" He yelled huffing. Sesshomaru didn't look back. He didn't have to give a response. The snowflakes pelted his face stinging as he soared at an alarming speed towards Edo.

~Kagome~

Kagome was kneeling down picking at some winter herbs on the ground. Her miko aura was stretched out around her sensing for any youkia that might be there waiting to take advantage of her. The aura was altogether useless when it came to attacking, but it would give her a warning if a youkia did decide to sneak up on her. The downside to using it though was she completely gave away her position when she used it making it easier for youkia to find her. The snow started falling again as she stored the herbs she had collected in a sac on her hip and stood up and looking around the dead forest. It was calming in a sense. She sighed as she walked farther into the forest looking for more herbs. She was about to kneel down to pick some more when she heard a branch snap behind her. She turned around suddenly looking for the source of the noise, but the scenery was as docile as it had been a moment ago. That was the dangerous thing about being in the woods during winter time. The branches of trees snapped for three reasons. Due to the cold and the trees dying, they also snapped due to large amounts of snow falling on them, and the last reason was because youkia stepped on them.

She dismissed a threat and knelt down picking the herbs but her senses were on full alert now. She hated this feeling. It was times like this that she wished Inuyasha was still alive. She hung her head for a second her senses dulling. Then she heard a low growling sound emitting from the woods behind her. She immediately stood up reaching for her bow behind her and notched an arrow. She held it there aiming in the woods in front of her. Something was there she just couldn't see it. She was stuck in a stalemate until it decided to come out. This was a disadvantage of using bows. It was a one shot hit. You missed or you hit your mark.

She heard the growl again emitting from behind her this time. She turned around and pointed her bow into the trees once more seeing nothing. She felt her heart start beating faster in her chest. It was toying with her now. She reached out with her aura scanning for this youkia. She found nothing. This was worrisome. If it could hide its aura from her it was strong. She blinked as the falling snow fell harder. Her hands started trembling in fear as she tried to keep her bow steady. Then it happened again the growl came from behind her once more. She turned around and finally saw the youkia; all three of them were rushing her from all sides. She had one shot. She released her arrow at the youkia in front of her, but she had no way to protect herself from the other two that were closing in. Suddenly she saw a flash of white fall from the sky in front of her.

"Sesshomaru?" His focus was, however, on the other two youkia as he summoned his poison whip and pulled her into his shoulder with his other arm protectively. As soon as the whip touched the youkia they dissipated into nothingness. Kagome had closed her eyes as she fell into him. He was surprisingly warm to the touch. She looked up at him in question. His gaze was still on the surrounding area as if he was waiting to see if any other youkia would be foolish enough to attack her while he was there. However, there was silence and the only movement made was of the snowflakes falling. "Thank you," she said barely audible. The taiyoukia, however, heard her.

"Hn," was his only response. Kagome half expected him to walk off now that it was over. His arm fell but he didn't move. He stood there just waiting for her to let him go. Kagome's body trembled at the close encounter and at the close contact she was receiving. It wasn't normal for her. She looked into his eyes and saw the same stoic Sesshomaru looking back.

~Sesshomaru~

Sesshomaru untensed his muscles as the youkia dissipated under the power of his poison whip. He waited though for any other youkia in the proximity to approach him. He knew they were there, but also knew they weren't that foolish. The miko felt cold to the touch, but when he had pulled her into his shoulder she had tensed up as if she wasn't use to contact. He wasn't either; however, he was a taiyoukia. Displays of affection were not proper behavior for him as Lord of the West especially when he did not have a mate. He dropped his arm so she could remove herself from the uncomfortable situation but she did not. She stayed there almost wanting the contact. Then she looked up at him he expected anything but what he saw in her eyes. She was numb, stoic; cold just like he was but there was also sadness in her eyes that was almost painful to see. She was broken and barely holding herself together. He pitied her.

He stood there still not moving and looked around. The youkia were gone from this area now and would not try to attack her for a long time since a taiyoukia had come to her rescue. He was sure of it, and if they did he would make it unobscurely clear with the next youkia that tried to attack her. Kagome had laid her head on his shoulder by now. He could feel the temperature dropping as the snow was falling harder. It was dangerous for a human to be outside for an extended amount of time in this weather.

"You need to let this Sesshomaru go," he said in a flat tone that was quieter than his normal voice. He wasn't intending to be harsh. She hadn't seen a demon in a while Sesshomaru had made sure of that, and this was the first time she had seen him since that night and he no doubt reminded her of his brother Inuyasha.

"I am sorry," she whispered as she let go of Sesshomaru and stood before him taking a step back as a strong cold wind whipped up around them that cut through even Sesshomaru's clothing. His long sea of silver hair flowed about him freely and even though Kagome tried to hide it Sesshomaru saw her shiver slightly against the wind.

"Miko go back to your village and get inside," he said this again in his flat monotone voice with a slight undercurrent of a command. Kagome didn't move.

~Kagome~

Kagome hadn't meant to hold onto Sesshomaru so long after he had saved her. It was just nice to see a familiar face after such a long time; someone from the past. She had, however, felt strange once she had let him go. She got colder somehow that had nothing to do with the wind that now roared around them. It made Sesshomaru's hair dance around him. He looked truly of royalty; elegant and proper in every way even during a fight. She now shivered due to the cold and his absence of body heat.

"Miko go back to your village and get inside," his voice was stoic and monotone. It was an order although it sounded like he didn't care at all. Then why would he say that? Kagome just stood there pondering this. She knew she should move but the emotions from the past that had been stirred up make her legs heavy and unresponsive. For some reason she didn't want him to leave.

Sesshomaru turned around and started walking away. She wanted to call out to him, but she knew she couldn't follow him. Even if she had asked him he could not take her with him. She stood there just watching him leave hesitating to say a word. The pain of losing someone again made tears well up in her eyes. She hated this pain.

"Sesshomaru!" She cried out in a desperate pain stricken voice that echoed around her in the silent woods as she fell to her knees and truly wept.

Kagome smiled as Sango and Miroku entered the hut. Sango was getting bigger all the time and because of this she was surprised they risked coming to Kaede's during this much snowfall. She had peeled herself off of the ground after weeping her eyes out in the forest and made it back to Kaede who didn't ask why she had been gone so long. Kagome was grateful for this.

"Hey Kagome!" Sango said happily as she attempted to bend over and hug her sister. Kagome, however, had made it to her knees so she didn't have to bend down all the way and risk falling over.

"Hi Sango," she said smiling over her shoulder as she saw Miroku whose face also held a smile. Sango let her go and Kagome got to her feet to hug her brother like figure. "How are you two," Kagome asked genuinely concerned, "did you have any trouble getting here?"

"Well beside the snow and freezing cold, no none," Miroku said sitting down beside the fire inside the hut. "I am sorry to impose Kaede but we may have to stay here until spring." Kagome's face got brighter at this remark.

"Aye, I believe that would be best," she said as she sat down in front of Sango, "it would be best for yee baby too. Looks like it will be early." Sango beamed down at the large lump of a stomach she now had. Kagome smiled at her. She was going to be an amazing mother. Miroku would be an amazing father figure too. She just knew it.

"Hey Kagome, are you okay?" Sango asked worriedly. Apparently she had adorned a distant expression for the past few minutes.

"Oh yeah I am fine," she said forcing a smile. "Kaede would you like me to start supper?" She said hoping to distract the others from her.

"Aye, that would be nice," Kaede said still busying herself with Sango. Kagome jumped at the chance to go outside and retrieve whatever meat they had left from their makeshift freezer. It was a hole in the ground but it froze everything this time of year. Kagome had remembered reading something about that in a geography class in the modern world. It had worked quiet well in this time. Kagome returned to the hut and let the meat hang over the fire to thaw and sat down across form Miroku.

"I saw Shippou the other day," he said leaning against the wall, "he has gotten a lot bigger and stronger than he was as a kit. You would be proud of him." He said smiling. He left the sentence hanging in the air but they both knew what implied last part of the phrase was, 'and so would he.'

"I am proud," she said smiling softly into the fire as it crackled, "I miss him though."

"I know you do," Miroku said reassuringly, "but it was about time for him to go off and have his own adventures. Fall in love, get stronger, face evil, save the world; you know our family tradition." They both laughed at this. The laughter settled down and Miroku spoke again, "I also saw Sesshomaru on our way over here," he looked at Kagome with a raised eyebrow with an implicative question. "Did you see him," he finally voiced the implied question after an lengthy silence. Kagome met his eyes but was saved by Sango entering the room.

"Well now that that's over," she said making her way to Miroku's side. He held his gaze at Kagome a little longer but didn't push the subject and farther as he looked up at his beautiful wife. She reached out for his arm as she started to sit down. He offered it to steady her as she sat. "Well one thing about this is if I go down I need to be comfortable because it's hard to get back up anymore."

"Aye, and it will only get harder," Kaede responded entering the room as well.

"Oh boy,"Sango said feigning enthusiasm riddled with sarcasm. They all laughed.

Everyone had been fed and was settling down for the night but Kagome still had things on her mind. She sat up by the fire and pondered the day's events as Sango entered the room.

"What's on your mind Kagome," she asked concerned. Kagome looked up at Sango with a smile. She needed to talk to someone about these thoughts that were racing through her head. Sango was a good person for that. She was like a sister to her and would understand her unlike Miroku or Kaede would.

"Well I need to tell you some things that have happened that are odd and making me think. I just need what your opinion that's all. And I warn you it might surprise you." Sango smiled.

"Well then as long as you can help me get back up I'll sit down and you can tell me."

An hour later Kagome had told her everything; from that night under the Goshinboku tree to that very day when Sesshomaru had come to her rescue. Sango was looking into the fire pondering these events.

"Well, Sesshomaru isn't the type to take to humans, but he does have Rin and he cares a lot about her. But she is a child. You are much more mature than that and I don't think that he would act like he has if you didn't mean something to him. He doesn't go out of his way to protect others especially humans from harm. I don't know if it was because you were something to Inuyasha and because he is dead he now feels responsible for you or if it is something more. However, I do think you will see him again soon. Just give it time I guess. And if he comes back again you will know. Who knows this may be what the Gods want for your life Kagome." Kagome nodded in agreement. She could always count on Sango to come through for her. "Well now if you will help me up I am tired and need to sleep before tomorrow comes," she said peering over at her sleeping husband. Kagome rose to her feet and helped Sango up, "Thanks Kagome."

"No thank you Sango," she said hugging the woman as tightly as she could without harming the baby.

"Good night Kagome," she whispered as she went and wobbled over to Miroku who had to be slightly roused so she could lay down with him. Kagome just smiled and looked into the fire. Maybe she would see Sesshomaru again. She felt like it. Having her friends lifted her spirits but she could still feel that constant knife of sadness in her heart when she let her mind wander.

She curled up in front of the crackling flames and closed her eyes hoping of the day when Sesshomaru would decide to make an appearance in her life again.


End file.
